GLP-1R Agonists Found Effective for Weight Loss

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists for at least 20 weeks leads to weight loss in obese or overweight patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a study published online Jan. 11 in BMJ.

Tina Vilsbøll, M.D., of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. They included 21 randomized, controlled trials with 6,411 adults with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m², with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. The participants received either exenatide twice daily, exenatide once weekly, or liraglutide once daily at clinically relevant doses for at least 20 weeks.

The researchers found the GLP-1R agonist groups achieved greater weight loss than the control groups (weighted mean difference, −2.9 kg; 95 percent confidence interval, −3.6 to −2.2). There was evidence of intertrial heterogeneity but, in regression analyses, no evidence of bias or small study effects was found. Beneficial effects of GLP-1R agonists were seen for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, plasma concentrations of cholesterol, and glycemic control, but there were no significant effects seen for plasma concentrations of liver enzymes.

"The present review provides evidence that treatment with GLP-1R agonists leads to weight loss in overweight or obese patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus," the authors write.